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SSU finishes football season on road against N.C. A&T

Senior wide receiver Simon Heyward said he was reflecting on the last four years at Savannah State with fellow senior teammate running back Sheldon Barnes.

The Tigers (1-10, 0-7 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) can only show improvement over the last three seasons with a win today in the season-finale at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.

“We’re happy,” Heyward said. “We’re happy for the guys who are going to be here next year and the coaching staff because we know what they can do. We were dealt the short hand with coach (Earnest) Wilson coming in late, but he’s going to change the program. We have our faith in him, and we’re going to be back to support it.”

Heyward and the senior class have had three straight 1-10 seasons, but this year they are playing a 12th game.

It may not sound like much, but a win today doubles the win total of any of the last three seasons.

But a loss drops the Tigers to their worst record since an 0-11 mark in 2005.

“(The 2013 season) wasn’t one that was successful, but it wasn’t one where you just want to scrap it and say forget it,” Wilson said. “It was a great experience to see where you could go or (were) supposed to go, even for me as a coach.

“It was interesting. It was fun. It created a challenge. But it’s not a challenge I can’t overcome. That’s the cool thing about it. We know where our problems are, and we know how to address them. That’s why we feel Savannah State can look forward to a better product next year.”

The 2013 finale won’t be easy for the Tigers, who have lost eight games in a row this season and dropped 22 straight conference games over the last three seasons.

A&T (5-4, 2-4 MEAC) isn’t a slouch. The Aggies defeated Appalachian State 24-21 in Boone, N.C., early in the season, but have lost four of their last six games by a total of 16 points.

SSU showed some promise after being competitive in two-point losses to Delaware State and Norfolk State at midseason but has taken a turn south with its two most lopsided defeats in its last two weeks — 45-9 to South Carolina State and 42-14 at Howard University.

To make matters worse for today’s game, starting quarterback Antonio Bostick, the Tigers’ leader in rushing and passing, will not play after breaking team rules and refusing the punishment to make retribution, Wilson said.

Freshman quarterback Leon Prunty, who has started four games, will start today.

But the seniors know they can create something special with their first win in two months.

“The last game can be a stepping stone for the team in the offseason,” Heyward said. “We’ve only won one game the past three years. Just to have that extra win, that would be a positive.”